Desert Arc ー Chapter 18 (Part 1): One is a Visitor in the Dream
North of the capital, there was a San Chuan County. The county had an inn called Long Men* and the inn had a proprietress called…No no, not Jin Xiangyu* but called Xu Fengxian(Xú FèngXiān).
*T/n: 'Long Men' means Dragon Gate. There is a movie called 'New Dragon Gate Inn' and there's a character called 'Gam Seung Yuk', also known as 'Jin Xiangyu', who is the proprietress of the Dragon Gate Inn.
Mdm Xu Fengxian was 38 this year. Lady Xu was in her thirty to forties* but her charm had long ceased existing or simply hadn't existed at all. Mdm Xu had bronze-colored skin sought after but hard to achieve for people from the West and the fats on her body were as rich as her assets. The most prominent one was the grand symbol of females in front of her chest as it was very unwilling to be lonely that it wanted to squeeze out of the front part of her jacket to see the scenery outside. My compatriots often drew a parallel between this thing and papaya. Now that I observed it from a close distance, I felt that the words 'water polo ball' were more apt because papayas were hard while water polo balls were soft. In addition, probably because I was staring, Mdm Xu puffed out her chest in a proud manner. I quickly turned my face away as if I had an aversion to cold.
*T/n: I think she's also playing a pun on the phrase which is used to describe a middle-aged woman who still remains charming as the phrase contains 'Lady Xu' and this woman happens to have the surname 'Xu' as well. However, I guess she defies expectations in this case.
Mdm Xu grinned and revealed a mouth of teeth with tetracycline pigmentation. Her wrinkles were just like the ravines on the plateau scoured out by the rainwater. Her pair of eyes which seemed to have been openings which were cut open by a knife during the postnatal period before they could see the day, was practically going to drop on Song Zijing.
She swung her waist and asked, "Where did Guest* come from?"
*T/n: It's supposed to be a polite appellation for guests at hotels etc
I raced to answer, "Came from where we came from."
Aunt Xu ignored me and asked again, "Going where?"
I competed to answer again. "Going to where we're going."
"Guest is really interesting!" Mdm Xu smiled until her fats trembled randomly and fell towards Song Zijing. I was clearly the one who answered so how was it related to Song Zijing. Furthermore, if she came crushing down like pushing a golden mountain and a collapsing jade pillar, would Song Zijing still be breathing?
Luckily, Song Zijing's reactions were agile. With a slide of his legs, his body had already moved to one side.
He maintained his smile and said, "Proprietress, we want to cross the river."
Mdm Xu Fengxian waved her handkerchief as her small eyes radiated bright light. "You all want to cross the river? Then you have found the right place."
She swung her buttocks as she walked back to the counter and flipped the account book freely with one hand.
"This place of ours is also not far from the main roads. It's just two hours on the road. But those people crossing the Chuan River to go to Hu Zhou are all running towards Lin Qing County as if they are strung by a string. It's not fake that the water is shallow and slow there but to say that our San River flows rapidly and has many submerged reefs, that's pulling his father's egg by blabbering nonsense when that's too much time on their hands!"
Little girl Yun Xiang's face turned red for a moment.
Xu Fengxian's face was full of vigor and put on airs. "It's not that I'm boasting but our Old Chief Qing(Qìng) here is even faster than the fish crossing the river when he moves the punt along! It could be that the other boatmen can't compare to him, thus they tell lies to make up that it is hard to cross our river here."
Song Zijing asked, "Then, excuse me, may I ask how we can find this Uncle Qing?"
Xu Fengxian cast a coquettish glance at him or was it rolling her eyes? "What 'excuse me' did you say? We're all unrefined people and can't take the refinement of educated people. However, in this half a year to a year, it is rare that we have a guest that is crossing the river. Old Chief Qing has his own family matters he's busy about so you won't be able to find him in a short while."
Song Zijing glanced at me. I understood. I fished out a gold bead and placed it on the counter. Mdm Xu's small eyes abruptly widened until they were extremely big that they were practically going to break through the limits of the innate law of things.
I said, "Then we'll still need to trouble Proprietress Xu to help us find a bit."
"You flatter me too much! With pleasure!" She grabbed the gold into her hands then said to me, "Little Gentleman is intelligent and handsome. You'll definitely be able to marry a pretty wife in the future."
I beamed at Yun Xiang who was dressed as a young married woman and raised my chin a little. "There's no need to wait until the future. I have already married one."
Aunt Xu seemed to have just seen Yun Xiang as she exclaimed in surprise, "What a charming young wife. Gentleman has good fortune!"
Yun Xiang looked at Song Zijing with a distressed expression, then looked at me who was dressed in man's attire with a distressed expression and buried her face which had become as red as a tomato.
Waiting until we had returned to the room, I asked Song Zijing, "Can this proprietress be trusted?"
Song Zijing sat beside the window and drank his tea unhurriedly before he said, "Those mingling in the underground society are trusted three-tenths and guard against seven-tenths. You don't trust her but she's also afraid that you'll bring her trouble!"
I sized up this so-called high-grade room. Actually, it was only a little more spacious with the furniture a little more exquisite and the quilt made of satin. Due to nobody staying here for a long time, even the bed curtains were emitting a moldy smell.
Yun Xiang saw me touching here and there on the bed and asked, "Miss, what are you looking for?"
I hoax her, "Legend says that there's a Long Men Inn which operates at the gateway to the desert. It's a renown gangster inn that kills and robs guests. All the beds in that shop had secret tunnels and mechanisms beneath the beds. After specially waiting until night when the guests were fast asleep, as soon as the mechanism opens, the guest would fall in and be disposed of with a 'kerchak' of the knife."
Yun Xiang was frightened until she immediately touched her neck.
I gave embellishments and more colorful details by adding oil and vinegar. "It's still not over after killing. What they wanted is that body of flesh. They would shave it off, mince it, pinch them until they become fillings and make them into human meat buns…"
Knocking sounds could be heard from the door. "Guest, the meat bun you wanted have been sent."
I smiled sinisterly at Yun Xiang. "The human meat bun has come!"
Yun Xiang grabbed onto my sleeve firmly as she shuddered.
That was of course not human meat bun. That couldn't even be considered as meat bun! I gnawed on the flour skin and the white vegetables inside while cursing that stingy Mdm Xu Fengxian to contract women's climacteric syndrome soon.
It had been six days since we left the capital. I didn't know what kind of havoc it had turned into at the Xie Family. After Xiao Li hears that I have fled, he should have a feeling of freeing himself like a student hearing that the College English Test and diploma are not linked. I just didn't know how Xie Zhaoke's promise to him was going to be realized now.
However, after Xie Zhaoke knows about Song Zijing and I eloping, the proud and arrogant her won't develop into Li MoChou* in a fit of pique right? The scariest thing in the world is actually talented men and women. When they were content and law-abiding, it was alright but once they became fierce, even the world could be overturned. How did you think the atomic bomb was invented?
*T/n: A character from Romance of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong. To be very brief, she was troubled by love for her whole life. After that, there's this part where she finally became a demon and made things difficult for the female protagonist many times.
Due to Song Zijing's repeated and careful instructions, we stayed in the room for the whole afternoon and didn't go anywhere. I saw a large river with wide waves which separated the green mountains and farmhouses on two shores outside the window. In my heart, I was extremely yearning for roaming around on to travel but didn't dare to take this risk.
After eating our dinner, we slept early. Song Zijing stayed right nextdoor and wanted us to knock the wall if there are any problems.
I slept on the same bed as Yun Xiang. After listening to my story in the day, she was frightened until she couldn't sleep and tossed here and there. She asked me, "Miss, this can't really be the same gangster inn right?"
I was very sleepy and mumbled to myself, "Gangster then gangster. We have Xiao Song."
"But Teacher Song is just a scholar."
I turned over. "A scholar is also a man. You only like him and is afraid of him bearing hardships and getting injured."
Yun Xiang was shy. "Miss, you're so hateful."
I said, "I'm indeed hateful. Do you know why he wants us to knock the wall when we have a problem?"
"Why?"
"Because this wall is very thin. As soon as there are any movements on this side, he can hear all of them. For example, all the words we spoke just now have all entered his ears without missing a single word. Now he knows that you like him."
Yun Xiang screamed loudly in embarrassment and buried herself under the quilt. I continued sleeping in satisfaction.
I didn't know how long I have slept when I suddenly heard a voice calling, "Xie Huaimin…"
I continued sleeping.
That voice sounded again. "Xie Huamin!"
I still slept.
The voice exploded beside my ear. "Hey! Calling you! Still sleeping!"
I opened my eyes. I wasn't on the bed. I was in nothingness.
This scene was very familiar. I have remembered.
"Great immortal?"
"That's right." The voice which I hadn't heard for quite a few months sounded. "After not seeing you for quite a while, you seem to have gotten fatter. Your days you're living have been quite comfortably off."
I smiled. "It's nothing much too. It's just that my teeth are good and my appetite is good. Where have you been getting rich recently?" Then I thought of something and added a sentence. "Are there news about my matter already?"
Great Immortal coughed a few times uneasily. "About that…"
About that what? I had an ominous feeling.
Great Immortal said, "About that…a small situation has cropped up."
Translator Corner:
Yay, start of a new arc! 🙂